In Greek mythology, what object did Pandora open?

In Greek mythology, Pandora opened a jar. Hesiod’s original Greek account uses the word pithos, meaning a large storage jar or container, rather than a small box.

The jar held evils, illnesses, and other troubles that had previously been kept from humanity. When Pandora opened it, these afflictions escaped into the world. Hope remained inside, according to the usual reading of the story, although scholars have debated whether its staying inside is intended as comfort or as another ambiguity.

The expression “Pandora’s box” became standard much later. The Renaissance humanist Erasmus translated the Greek container into Latin as pyxis, a word associated with a box, and that wording helped establish the familiar phrase in European languages.

The myth is therefore a useful example of how translation can reshape a story. Saying that Pandora opened a box is conventional in modern English, but “jar” is closer to Hesiod’s original description. The object was a pithos, a large earthenware storage vessel.