What appeared before the state or writing?

Writing was the first to appear. For example, on the lands of the Sumerians, it arose in 4 thousand BC. The first large state was formed here in 3 thousand BC. We can say that writing was one of the main reasons for the formation of states. The Sumerians themselves lived in separate cities, which had their own government, which strongly resembled the cities of the state. The largest of them were: Ur, Uruk, Lagash, Kish, Nippur, Akkad and others. Each such city was ruled by a high priest.