The Sumerians developed cuneiform, one of the first writing systems in the western world. Much of what we know about Sumerian history is from the king-lists they inscribed in cuneiform. While some of this information is quite fanciful, such as the claim that the legendary king Alulim ruled for 28,000 years, much has been confirmed from other sources. Because of these lists, we know the Sumerians had a strong sense of their own history.
Archeologists excavating in Sumer learned that this region was organized into separate city-states, each of which included a large city surrounded by smaller villages and towns. Some Sumerian city-states, such as Ur and Ninevah, are mentioned in the Old Testament. These city-states are the first evidence of advanced urban organization in the western world.
Extant literary works like Gilgamesh, Atrahasis and the Hymn of the Righteous Sufferer allow us to discover what daily life was like in Sumer. Some are vaguely similar to the Old Testament stories of Job and the Flood; other stories, such as Etana, open the door to a rich trove of Mesopotamian mythology.
The Sumerians built lavish palaces with walls heavily ornamented with bas-reliefs depicting Sumerian warriors in chariots, nobles feasting and proud rulers. Studying these remains provides information on how the Sumerians dressed and what their social structure was like. Tall temples called ziggurats reached into the heavens; these ziggurats provide clues to Sumerian temple life and worship.