In Greek mythology, Hesiod called Pandora’s “box” a jar.
The earliest surviving versions of the story use the ancient Greek word pithos, meaning a large storage jar, rather than a small box. Such jars were used for commodities including grain, wine, and olive oil. Pandora opened the container after receiving it from Zeus, releasing troubles into the human world.
The familiar “box” is the result of a later translation tradition. The 16th-century humanist Erasmus translated pithos into the Latin pyxis, a word associated with a box or small container. That choice helped establish the phrase “Pandora’s box” in European languages.
The change is important because modern illustrations often show a hinged chest, while the oldest literary evidence points to a large earthenware jar. The plot remains recognizable in both forms, but “jar” is the historically precise answer for Hesiod’s version.