The Sumerians developed the earliest known system of writing, called cuneiform. Cuneiform was a wedge-shaped script that was written on clay tablets. It was used by the Sumerians to record their laws, history, literature, and religion. Without cuneiform, we would have very little knowledge of early Sumerian history and culture.
Another important gift that the Summer gave the world was their system of law. The Sumerian Legal Code was one of the first written codes of law in the world. It established a system of justice that was based on the principle of retribution. The death penalty was common for serious crimes, such as murder. The Sumerian law code also included provisions for civil disputes, such as theft and debt.