The literature of the Sumerians was treasured throughout the Near East, and long after Sumerian ceased to be spoken, the Babylonians and Assyrians and others kept it alive as a literary language, the way Europeans kept Latin alive after the fall of Rome.

　　结构分析：

　　并列复合句。

　　句子分析：

　　句1: The literature of the Sumerians was treasured throughout the Near East， The literature为主语 of the Sumerians为定语， was treasured 谓语，throughout the Near East 状语。

　　本部分意思：在整个近东地区, 苏美尔人的文学都受到珍视.

　　句2：and long after Sumerian ceased to be spoken, the Babylonians and Assyrians and others kept it alive as a literary language, the way Europeans kept Latin alive after the fall of Rome. 句2结构为状语从句+主句。after引导的状语从句中，Sumerian为主语，ceased to be spoken为谓语。

　　主句中，the Babylonians and Assyrians and others 主语， kept谓语， it宾语，alive 宾补， as a literary language也为宾补. the way 引出状语从句，其中，Europeans 主语，kept 谓语， Latin宾语，alive 宾补，after the fall of Rome状语。

　　本部分意思：在苏美尔语停止运用很长时间之后，巴比伦人，亚述人和其他人让它作为一种文学语言使它存活，就像罗马衰落以后，欧洲人把拉丁语保存下来那样。

　　参考翻译：

　　在近东地区, 苏美尔人的文学是受到珍视的，在苏美尔语停止运用很长时间之后，巴比伦人，亚述人和其他人让它作为一种文学语言使它存活，就像罗马衰落以后，欧洲人把拉丁语保存下来那样。