(~5 minutes read)
Power. Hierarchies. Pyramids
Humanity has built pyramids for thousands of years, not only from stone, but from institutions, governments, and social structures.
Yet why has humanity continued to recreate these systems across millennia?
In Ancient Egypt, pyramids were not simply tombs. Through a modern lens, they represented something much larger: evidence of organization, specialization, bureaucracy, and collective coordination. Their construction required an entire network of people with different roles, from architects and engineers to administrators, scribes, farmers, and workers. In many ways, the social hierarchy of Egypt was reflected in the very structure it created.
However, reducing Ancient Egyptian hierarchy to a simple division between rulers and subjects would overlook the complexity of the civilization itself. The strength of Egypt did not come from the pharaoh alone, but from the vast network of institutions and individuals that supported the state. Priests maintained religious traditions, scribes managed the records and administration, engineers developed monumental projects, and farmers sustained the economy through the rhythms of the Nile.
At the center of this structure stood the pharaoh, whose role extended far beyond political leadership. In Ancient Egyptian belief, the pharaoh was not simply a monarch; they were a link between the human and the divine worlds, responsible for maintaining Ma'at, the balance and order that allowed society and the universe to function. Authority was therefore not only based on military or economic power, but also on religious legitimacy.
This belief explains why hierarchy was not viewed in the same way it often is today. For many Egyptians, social order was not necessarily a sign of oppression, but a reflection of a larger cosmic balance. Each role, from the highest official to the farmer working along the Nile, contributed to the stability of the kingdom.
Nonetheless, the existence of a functioning system does not mean that every person benefited from it equally. Like many civilizations throughout history, Ancient Egypt combined remarkable organization with significant differences in wealth, influence, and access to power.
The question therefore is not whether hierarchy exists. It is what happens when a structure designed for organization becomes a structure designed to preserve power.
A hierarchy, by itself, does not necessarily mean that those at the bottom are being exploited. A school has administrators and students. A government has ministers and civil servants. A company has executives and employees. Different responsibilities require different levels of authority. The problem begins when authority stops being a responsibility and becomes a privilege.
A hierarchy becomes more difficult to challenge when resources are concentrated at the top, something that can be observed in many modern societies.
Who owns productive land and resources?
Who controls accumulated wealth?
Who has access to the best opportunities to acquire the knowledge and education that could allow them to climb higher?
Who controls important information, or the ability to distribute it?
Who has access to influential networks, prestigious institutions, and desirable opportunities?
These questions may have different answers depending on the society, but they reveal a common pattern: those at the bottom rarely have equal access to the resources that allow people to move upwards.
Perhaps these inequalities seem insignificant when considered individually. Having better access to education, a stronger professional network, or greater financial security may not appear to determine someone's entire future. But when these advantages accumulate, they can become something much larger.
Economic resources can create opportunities. Opportunities can create influence. And influence can, in turn, protect or increase access to resources.
This is where the pyramid begins to reproduce itself.
The people at the top do not necessarily need to actively prevent everyone else from climbing. If the system consistently gives those who already possess resources greater access to opportunities, the hierarchy can reinforce itself without anyone explicitly deciding that it should.
And this brings us from economic power to political power.
Who gets heard?
Who gets represented?
Who has access to the institutions that make decisions?
And perhaps most importantly: who has the resources necessary to make their voice difficult to ignore?
Political equality on paper does not always translate into equal influence in practice. A society may give its citizens the same formal rights while still giving some individuals far greater capacity to exercise those rights.
The pyramid, therefore, is no longer simply about who has more money or resources. It becomes a question of who has the ability to shape the rules that determine how those resources are distributed in the first place.
My Rabbit Hole Sources
These are some of the books, articles, and research that helped me dig into these ideas (and honestly sent me down a few interesting rabbit holes). If you’re curious too, feel free to check them out and explore for yourself (just don’t blame me if you lose track of time).
PBS NOVA — “Who Built the Pyramids?”
Fairness Foundation — “High levels of inequality lead to low levels of social mobility”
Kashf Journal — “Exploring the Relationship Between Economic Inequality and Social Mobility”
ResearchGate — “Social mobility in 20 modern societies: The role of economic and political context”
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