the.com/hierarchy
the original org chart, drawn by priests who put themselves on top.
means A system in which people, things, or ideas are ranked one above another in order of authority, importance, or rank.
from From Greek 'hierarkhia,' joining 'hieros' (sacred, holy) and 'arkhein' (to rule). It first named the ranking of holy beings — the celestial orders of angels stacked from seraphim down — before the word descended to earth to describe any chain of command, sacred or otherwise.
- holy origin
- Greek hierarkhia means rule of a high priest
- angel ranks
- medieval theologians sorted angels into nine tiers
- primate proof
- chickens literally invented the pecking order
- stress cost
- low-rank baboons have higher stress hormones
- flat myth
- leaderless groups quietly grow hidden hierarchies anyway
catholic church — pope at top, then cardinals, bishops, priests in strict ranked order since 325 ad council of nicaea
us military — 5-star general down to private, 10 official ranks with clear chain of command
feudal system medieval europe — king > nobles > knights > peasants, dominant social structure 9th-15th centuries
maslow's hierarchy of needs — 5-tier pyramid from physiological needs to self-actualization, published 1943