In Greek mythology, what name is given to Pandora’s jar in modern English?

In modern English, Pandora’s jar is commonly called “Pandora’s box.” The phrase became the standard expression even though Hesiod’s ancient Greek account describes a large storage jar rather than a small box.

The Greek word often translated as “jar” is pithos, a substantial container used for storing goods such as grain, oil, or wine. Later translations and retellings changed the container’s image. Erasmus’s Latin rendering helped popularize the “box” tradition, and the newer form became deeply established in European languages and visual culture.

This distinction matters because “Pandora’s box” is both a mythological image and an idiom for an action that releases unforeseen troubles. People commonly assume the box detail comes directly from Hesiod, but it is a result of translation history and later reception. The modern phrase is now much more famous than the original container description.