In Greek mythology, Pandora opened a jar, despite English translations calling it a box.
Hesiod’s Greek word is pithos, a large storage jar used for agricultural goods such as grain or wine. In Works and Days, Pandora removes the lid, releasing troubles into the world while something remains inside. The ancient story therefore describes a vessel, not a small wooden box.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” arose through a Renaissance translation. The humanist Erasmus translated pithos into Latin as pyxis, meaning a small box or container, and that wording strongly influenced later European versions. The English expression became much more famous than the original Greek object.
The translation difference matters because readers sometimes assume that the box itself is an ancient detail. In fact, “jar” is closer to Hesiod’s wording, while “Pandora’s box” is the established modern idiom.