In Hesiod's account, what type of vessel did Pandora open?

Pandora opened a pithos, a large storage jar, in Hesiod's account of the myth. The Greek word pithos refers to a substantial container used for storing goods such as grain, wine, or oil.

The phrase “Pandora's box” became standard through later translation and retelling, even though Hesiod did not describe a small box. Erasmus of Rotterdam helped popularize the Latin expression pyxis, meaning box, in the sixteenth century. That wording strongly influenced the familiar English phrase.

This translation difference matters because a pithos suggests a household storage vessel rather than a specially made jewel box. Ancient Greek pithoi could be large and heavy, sometimes standing taller than a person. The myth therefore concerns the opening of a sealed container whose contents spread into the human world.

Hope's position in the jar is also debated. Hesiod says it remained inside after the other evils escaped, but scholars have differed over whether this means humanity retained hope or was deprived of it.