By the time of Mesalim, whichever dynasty controlled the city of Kish was recognised as "šar kiššati" (= king of Kish), and was considered preeminent in Sumer, possibly because this was where the two rivers approached, and whoever controlled Kish ultimately controlled the irrigation systems of the other cities downstream.
Dokumenti so spet napisani v sumerščini, čeprav je sumerščina postala zgolj literarni in liturgični jezik, podobno kot latinščina kasneje v srednjeveški Evropi.