Illustration showing the inside of your ear

The middle ear has three small bones: the hammer, also called the malleus; the anvil, also called the incus; and the stirrup, also called the stapes. The eardrum lies between these bones and the outer ear. A narrow path called the eustachian tube joins the middle ear to the back of the nose and upper part of the throat. The cochlea, a snail-shaped structure, is part of your inner ear.