The authors attempt to assess the validity of trace element analysis of human bone as a health or dietary indicator by a comparison between modern, 11th century French, and ancient (2000 - 3700 years BP) Egyptian mummy bones. Both 'clean' and soil contaminated cases were included. The results show a strong similarity of modern to 'clean' mummy bones but severe alteration in composition for soil contaminated bones. Diagenetic effects are characterised by high levels of vanadium, manganese, and aluminum, and by the calcium to potassium ratio shift. The authors conclude that all trace element analyses on buried bone should be quite suspect. -- AATA