In Hesiod’s original Greek wording, Pandora’s vessel is called a pithos. A pithos was a large storage jar used in the ancient Greek world for commodities such as grain, oil, or wine.
Hesiod does not describe Pandora opening a small hinged box. The familiar “Pandora’s box” is the result of a later translation tradition, especially the Latin rendering of the Greek vessel as a container that became associated with the word “box” in European languages.
The distinction matters because a pithos could be large and floor-standing, making the modern image of a hand-sized box historically inaccurate. Other Greek vessel terms, including amphora and krater, describe different shapes and uses. “Pithos” is therefore the specific archaeological and linguistic term associated with Hesiod’s account.