In Greek mythology, Pandora’s original container was a storage jar rather than a box.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” comes from a translation history. In the ancient Greek story, Pandora receives a large vessel called a pithos, a substantial storage jar used for commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. The Greek word was later rendered into Latin as pyxis, which means a box or small container. That shift helped create the expression now used in English.
The jar is central to the myth because Pandora opens it despite instructions concerning the vessel, releasing troubles into the human world. Hope remains inside, although ancient versions and later interpretations differ over whether it was released or retained. Artistic depictions often show a hinged box because that image matches the modern phrase.
A pithos was not a portable jewelry box. It was a large ceramic container, sometimes tall enough to stand on the floor. The “box” wording is therefore traditional English usage, while “storage jar” is closer to the ancient object described in the story.