I think that it is absolutely amazing that sculptors can depict such a vivid and life-like story through pictures on a vase. Everything on the vase tells a different veiw of life. The bottom register, or horizontal band, shows the world of nature, with the bottom layer covered in water with the beginnings of plant life. The middle register shows mankind doing what they need to to survive, in this case men carrying baskets filled with food. The top register is the most symbolic with the goddess Inanna, as she accepts an offering from a king. The detail that is shown in all three registers is exquisite and would be hard to do even with today's technology. Imagine, they did not have any of the computers that we have that could have done the base lines, or the scultping tools that would have helped them with all the tiny lines. They were working with what we would consider primative tools. And the story that is depicted is incredible, showing their understanding of how their culture worked.
This reminds me of a comic strip, only not humor based. Reading the drawings from right to left, just like in a comic strip, the story, or joke, is portrayed. People these days will cut out a comic they like or found funny, and paste in a frame or in a book. The early sculptors decided to portray their tales on ceramic pottery. 
