In Greek mythology, the word describing Pandora’s container before it became known as a box was pithos.
A pithos was a large storage jar used in ancient Greece, commonly for grain, oil, or wine. Hesiod’s account uses the Greek term pithos rather than a word meaning a small box. The famous “box” wording developed later through translation and retelling.
The container appears in Hesiod’s Works and Days, where Zeus gives it to Pandora. When she opens it, troubles escape into the world. The story is often simplified as Pandora opening a literal wooden box, but the earliest surviving version presents a large earthenware jar.
A pithos could be tall and substantial, sometimes large enough to store significant household supplies. This detail helps explain why modern illustrations differ from the ancient literary image: artists usually depict a compact decorative box because that is the form preserved by the English expression.