Anterior and Posterior. Anterior (ventral) refers to the ‘front’, and posterior (dorsal) refers to the ‘back’. Putting this in context, the heart is posterior to the sternum because it lies behind it. Equally, the sternum is anterior to the heart because it lies in front of it. Examples. Pectoralis major lies anterior to pectoralis minor. The triceps are posterior to biceps brachii. The patella is found in anteriorly in the lower limb.