In Hesiod’s Pandora story, the large storage jar she opened is called a pithos.
The Greek word pithos refers to a large earthenware storage container, commonly used for grain, oil, wine, or other provisions. Hesiod’s Works and Days describes Pandora opening such a vessel, not a small modern box.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” developed later through translation history. The Renaissance humanist Erasmus used the Latin word pyxis, meaning a small box or casket, in his Adages. That choice helped establish the wording that became standard in many languages.
The jar’s identification matters because the original story belongs to the practical world of ancient Greek storage vessels. “Pithos” is therefore the precise term in discussions of Hesiod’s version, while “Pandora’s box” is the better-known later expression.