In Greek mythology, Pandora was originally said to open a jar. The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” comes from a later translation and does not match the earliest Greek wording.
Hesiod, writing in the eighth century BCE, describes Pandora opening a large storage vessel called a pithos. Once opened, it released troubles and diseases into the world. The vessel was a household container rather than a small box designed for valuables.
The “box” version became influential through Renaissance Latin translations. Humanist scholars rendered the Greek container as pyxis, a word associated with a box or small container. That translation shaped the expression used in English and many other languages.
The myth is therefore often remembered inaccurately in one important physical detail. “Pandora’s jar” is closer to Hesiod’s account, while “Pandora’s box” is the standard modern phrase. The story’s central idea remains the same: curiosity allowed hidden evils to escape.