midday
In the handsomest shops sat servants of the priests , who received forms written on rolls of papyrus which were filled up in the writing room of the temple with those sacred verses which the departed spirit must know and repeat to ward off the evil genius of the deep , to open the gate of the under world , and to be held righteous before Osiris and the forty-two assessors of the subterranean court of justice . What took place within the temples was concealed from view , for each was surrounded by a high enclosing wall with lofty , carefully-closed portals , which were only opened when a chorus of priests came out to sing a pious hymn , in the morning to Horus the rising god , and in the evening to Tum the descending god . -LSB- The course of the Sun was compared to that of the life of Man . He rose as the child Horns , grew by midday to the hero Ra , who conquered the Uraeus snake for his diadem , and by evening was an old Man , Tum . Light had been born of darkness , hence Tum was regarded as older than Horns and the other gods of light . -RSB- As soon as the evening hymn of the priests was heard , the Necropolis was deserted , for the mourners and those who were visiting the graves were required by this time to return to their boats and to quit the City of the Dead . Crowds of men who had marched in the processions of the west bank hastened in disorder to the shore , driven on by the body of watchmen who took it in turns to do this duty and to protect the graves against robbers .