The Sumerians created cuneiform, the world’s first known writing system, around 3100 BCE, allowing them to record laws, trade, and literature.

They established powerful city-states such as Ur and Uruk, where they developed advanced irrigation systems to support agriculture and sustain their growing populations.

Their rich mythology, including stories like the Epic of Gilgamesh, had a lasting influence on later civilizations, shaping religious beliefs and literary traditions for centuries.