In Hesiod’s version of the myth, Pandora opened a pithos, a large storage jar.
The pithos was a substantial Greek vessel used to store commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. Hesiod’s Works and Days uses this kind of container rather than the small box shown in many modern illustrations. The change from jar to box is one of the best-known examples of a later retelling reshaping an ancient myth.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” became established through a Latin translation associated with the Renaissance scholar Erasmus. His choice of the Latin word pyxis, meaning box or container, helped produce the modern wording.
This translation difference matters because the jar emphasizes a household storage vessel, while a box suggests a portable object designed to be opened. Both versions preserve the central story: a sealed container is opened, evils spread through the world, and something remains inside.