In Hesiod’s Pandora story, a jar held the released troubles.
The original Greek tradition describes a large storage jar, called a pithos, rather than a small hinged box. Hesiod uses the jar in Works and Days when describing how Pandora’s opening of it released evils into the world. The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” arose later because a Renaissance translation rendered the Greek container as a Latin word meaning box or container.
A pithos was a substantial vessel used in the ancient Greek world for storing commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. This physical image differs from the compact decorative box shown in many modern illustrations. The jar’s shape also explains why artistic depictions vary widely: some show a domestic storage vessel, while others follow the later box tradition. The myth’s central point is the release of troubles, not a particular hinged design.