Early Sumerian city-states were at war to control agricultural and water territories, until the ascent of the First Dynasty of Lagash in 2500 BC. A life of farming and tending to livestock was what early Sumerians were preoccupied with, under the rule of their monarchs. In 500 BC, with advancements in science and the arts, the typical Sumerian would have shared cultural ties with the neighboring Akkadians. A more diplomatic political climate encouraged Sumerians to be bilingual, and more engaged in literary and scientific studies.
