What are some of the important contributions of the Sumerians to later society?

Perhaps the
greatest contributions of the Sumerians was the invention of the wheel; it allowed merchants and
others to transport items over much further distances and soon was adapted to a plethora of
other uses. Among their other accomplishments was the creation of bronze by combining copper and
tin, and later the ability to forge tools and weapons from iron. Another important contribution
was the development of a system of writing, in the case of Sumeria this was cuneiform. The
development of writing led to the expansion of knowledge and scholarship, and allowed for its
preservation for future generations. Finally, the Sumerian numerical system of base 60 is the
foundation of our modern system of measurement of degrees, distances, even time. The Sumerians
were the first to develop a twelve month calendar, a sixty minute hour, and a sixty second
minute.