In Hesiod’s Greek mythology, Pandora’s container was closed with a lid. The ancient account describes a pithos, or large storage jar, rather than the small box shown in many modern illustrations.
Works and Days says Pandora removes the lid, allowing the troubles inside to escape. The text does not present the familiar modern image of a hinged box with a lock. The phrase “Pandora’s box” developed later through translation and artistic tradition.
The lid detail matters because it identifies the action in the earliest surviving complete narrative. Pandora does not unlock a chest or break a seal; she opens a jar by removing its covering.
After the contents escape, hope remains inside according to the traditional reading of Hesiod’s account. This is why the container’s opening, rather than its manufacture or decoration, is the pivotal physical action in the story.