What Did The Sumerians Invent?

The Sumerians made contribution in various fields like commerce, written and oral communication science and literature among other fields. They developed a system of written communication that built the basis of all written communication systems to come. They used to write on clay tablets and it was the first ever form of writing. They also were able to develop a number system that was based on a basic unit of 60. They were the ones who divided an hour into sixty minutes and said that a circle had three sixty degrees in it. They invented the wheel and the wheeled transportation vehicles as well that facilitated them in trade. They also contributed to the field of astrology as they tracked stars to make calendars.

The wheel

I lived and worked for 1  1/2 years within sight of the Sumerian
Ziggurat at the ancient site of Ur in Southern Iraq about 5 miles south
east of Nasriyah. 

The Sumerians invented the pottery wheel.  There are
literally millions of pottery shards at this site.  I saw several
ancient water wells thickly lined with pottery shards.  They invented
writing and the wheel.  I saw a broken vase partially uncovered.  It was
large with a glossy white background with beautiful intricate blue and
gold designs on it.  These people of Suma who lived there 4,500 were
incredible. 

They built a Ziggurat which is a large tall structure with a
brick exterior filled in with dirt.  The temple to their moon good was
at the top. 

The mortar for the bricks was dried tar.  But the extreme
paradox with this fact of an incredible race of people that existed
there 5,000 years ago is the violent, simple minded people who live
there now. 
Nothing artistic or inventive or philosophical or anything except oil
and angry people has come out of there since the fall of the Sumerian
empire. What the hell happened?

The ziggurat and maybe the lyre- - -a stringed instrument of the harp family

The wheel...duh