In Greek mythology, the large jar later miscalled Pandora’s box is called a pithos. Hesiod’s Works and Days uses the Greek word pithos for the container associated with Pandora’s release of evils.
A pithos was a large storage jar used in the ancient Greek world, commonly for commodities such as grain, wine, or oil. It was not a small hinged box in the modern sense. The phrase “Pandora’s box” became standard much later through translation and retelling, especially after the Renaissance. The wording is now so familiar that many modern illustrations show a decorated box rather than a large earthenware jar.
This translation history matters because the container changes the visual meaning of the myth. A pithos belongs to everyday storage and abundance, while a box suggests a compact object designed to be opened. The earliest surviving literary version therefore supports “Pandora’s jar” as the more historically precise phrase.