According to Hesiod, what was Zeus punishing humanity for when he sent Pandora?

Zeus was punishing humanity for receiving stolen fire when he sent Pandora. In Greek mythology, Prometheus takes fire from the gods and gives it to humans, allowing them to cook, work metal, and develop civilization.

Zeus regards the theft as a serious challenge to divine authority. His response is not limited to punishing Prometheus, who is chained and tortured in later versions of the myth. Zeus also sends a punishment to humans in the form of Pandora, whose jar releases suffering into the world.

Hesiod’s account connects the fire story and Pandora story closely, but they are not identical episodes. The theft explains why Zeus acts; Pandora’s arrival explains a traditional mythic account of why evils affect human life.

Later writers and artists often combine details from different ancient sources. Some versions emphasize Prometheus’s trick at a sacrifice, while Hesiod’s Works and Days focuses especially on fire, Pandora, labor, and the human condition.