The splenius cervicis (/ˈspliːni.əs sərˈvaɪsᵻs/) (also known as the splenius colli, /ˈspliːni.əs ˈkɒlaɪ/) is a muscle in the back of the neck. It arises by a narrow tendinous band from the spinous processes of the third to the sixth thoracic vertebrae; it is inserted, by tendinous fasciculi, into the posterior tubercles of the transverse processes of the upper two or three cervical vertebrae.