In Hesiod’s Greek myth of Pandora, the original vessel later called Pandora’s box was a pithos.
A pithos was a large storage jar used in ancient Greece, often for grain, oil, or wine. Hesiod used the Greek word pithos in his poem Works and Days, rather than describing a small wooden box. Later translations and retellings changed the vessel into a box, creating the familiar English expression.
Pandora received the container and opened it, releasing sickness, hardship, and other troubles into the world. Hope remained inside, according to the traditional account. The exact role of hope has prompted debate because the Greek word elpis can mean expectation as well as hope.
The phrase “Pandora’s box” is therefore a famous translation tradition, not a literal description of Hesiod’s original vessel. The broader myth explains a Greek cultural story about why human life contains suffering.