A hierarchy is defined as "a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other acccording to status or authority".
These groups are stacked on top of one another in an organizational pyramid from most valuable at the top, to least valuable at the bottom; this pyramid serves a visual representation of a hierarchy.
One may identify a hierarchy with the existence of this pyramid in a society, where one or more groups hold exclusive privileges over the rest on the lower levels of the pyramid.
An example of a hierarchy is a monarchy, where a king has the ultimate word over any matter regarding the rule in a society of lesser individuals (peasants).
