In Hesiod’s poem Works and Days, the woman later linked to Pandora’s box is Pandora.
Hesiod presents Pandora as a woman fashioned by the gods and sent to humanity after Prometheus took fire. Her name is commonly interpreted from Greek elements meaning “all-gifted” or “all-endowed,” reflecting the gifts the gods gave her. The story appears in Works and Days, a didactic poem traditionally attributed to Hesiod and generally dated to the seventh century BCE.
The phrase “Pandora’s box” is a later alteration of the ancient story. Hesiod describes a large storage jar, called a pithos in Greek, rather than a small box. The familiar name became established through later translations and retellings, while Pandora’s name remained the central identifier of the myth. Her story is often discussed alongside the myths of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and the early history of humanity.