In classical Greek mythology, Pandora’s original container was made from clay.
The earliest version describes a pithos, a large earthenware storage jar. Such jars were commonly used in the ancient Mediterranean for storing agricultural goods, liquids, and other supplies. The choice of a practical household container makes the myth’s catastrophe begin with an ordinary object rather than a modern hinged box.
Ancient Greek pottery was made from clay and hardened by firing. Artistic depictions of Pandora vary, and many later illustrations replace the large jar with a small decorated box because that shape better matches the established English phrase.
The material is not always stated in simplified retellings, so modern audiences may picture wood or metal. The specific ancient term, pithos, points to a large ceramic vessel. “Clay” is therefore the concise material answer, while “jar” identifies the object itself.