The Valley of the Kings was forgotten for many centuries after the royal mummies were removed to Deir el-Bahri.  This tranquility was disturbed however by a succession of foreign invaders who swept through the valley to plunder the declining Egyptian civilization — the Persians, who ruled Egypt from 525 B.C. to 380 B.C., then the Greeks (332 B.C.-30 B.C.), and finally the Romans (31 B.C.- 395 A.D.). In the wake of the conquering armies came legions of tourists, eager to visit the legendary Valley of the Kings. Many of the "tourists" defaced tombs in the valley, leaving thousands of graffiti on the walls to record their visits for posterity.