The Sumerian government was was a bureaucracy. This was the first ever bureaucracy in the world. This type of governmental makeup was devised around 4800 B.C. The monarchy was thought to have been sent by the gods. He ruled over lots of land and many people by having a large and efficient "middle management." This middle management, made up of mostly priests, had the responsibility of establishing boundaries of land and distributing crops. Power in Sumer constantly shifted between different city-states.