In Hesiod’s Greek myth, the original container later translated as Pandora’s “box” was a pithos.
A pithos was a large storage jar used in the ancient Greek world, commonly for commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. Hesiod’s Works and Days uses the Greek word pithos in the Pandora story. The familiar English phrase “Pandora’s box” developed later through translation and artistic tradition.
This distinction matters because a pithos was not the small hinged box commonly shown in modern illustrations. It was generally a substantial vessel, often large enough to store household supplies. The myth’s container therefore belongs to the practical pottery tradition of the ancient Mediterranean.
An amphora is another Greek vessel, but it usually has two handles and a different shape and function. Calling the object a box is culturally familiar, yet “pithos” is the more precise term for Hesiod’s original wording.