ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, LIST OF FIGURES, INTRODUCTION EDITIONS, STUDIES AND TRANSLATIONS, CHAPTER 1. THE TEXT: TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY, CHAPTER 2. THE TEXT AS A COMPOSITION: NOTES ON LANGUAGE, STRUCTURE AND PATTERNING, CHAPTER 3. THE TEXT AS A SOURCE: THE ACTIVITIES OF A VIZIER, CHAPTER 4. THE TEXT IN PERSPECTIVE: DATE AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, CONCLUSION, APPENDIX, INDEXES, PLATES