Not to be confused with a book of maps or charts of the same name, the atlas, in anatomy, is the first vertebra of the spine.
Residing in the neck, the atlas is named for the world-supporting Titan in Greek mythology because it also supports a globe in the form of the skull.
The second vertebrae of the spine is called the axis and this forms a pivot on which the atlas rotates, thus moving the skull.
The second vertebrae of the spine is called the axis and this forms a pivot on which the atlas rotates, thus moving the skull.
