A council of nobles checked the king's power, and the assembled army had to ratify his succession to the throne. The smelting of iron was a great technological advance, which helped the other neighboring societies.
Culture.
The Sumerian culture is a collection of many discoveries, beliefs, and human works that molded future cultures. Among these discoveries would be their irrigation system. The Sumerians channeled water safely to irrigation canals that crisscrossed their land. They did this because of the yearly overflow of rivers swollen with winter rains. The overflow turned out to be very useful. This irrigation system dates from 4000 B.C.E. It was one of the great achievements of Sumerian civilization and definitely its foundation. The watered fields provided the Sumerians with great crops of wheat, barley, dates, and vegetation. After harvest, the farmers then plowed the fields with oxen. .
Along with farming, other specialized skills included pottery manufacturing, stonecutting, bricklaying, metallurgy, weaving, shepherding, fishing, and sailing. The wheel was invented for carts, chariots, and pottery making. Pictographic writing was first used by the Sumerians about 3400 B.C.E., and by 3000 B.C.E. those had evolved into cuneiform words and syllables.
The Sumerians put a strong emphasis on education. In 2500 B.C.E. libraries were established at Shurppak, Eresh. The sons of the aristocrats and the successful regularly attended the schools. From the evidence dating from around 3000 B.C.E. we have learned that Sumerians practiced mathematics, astronomy, mythology, and medicine. Based on clay tablets dated to 2200 B.C.E., the Sumerians seem to have used real drugs to treat some diseases. It is believed the Babylonian civilization, which emerged after the Sumerian before 2000 B.C.E., absorbed much of the technology and culture of that civilization.
The Sumerians made most of their tools out of flint.
