Name two arteries commonly cited as branches of the external carotid artery.

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External carotid artery branches supply many structures in the head and neck, and two commonly cited branches are the facial artery and the superior thyroid artery. The facial artery travels to the face, giving off branches to the lips, nose, and surrounding areas, making it one of the most familiar and clinically relevant branches. The superior thyroid artery descends to the thyroid gland and nearby infrahyoid muscles, illustrating another classic route of the external carotid’s supply to neck structures. These two vessels are routinely listed together in anatomy texts as representative branches of the external carotid, which is why they’re a common pair to name on exams.

Note: while other pairs like lingual and maxillary are also branches of the external carotid, the posterior communicating artery is not a branch of the external carotid (it’s associated with the internal carotid system in the brain).