In Hesiod’s Works and Days, a pithos contained the troubles released by Pandora.
A pithos was a large Greek storage jar used for commodities such as grain, wine, or oil. Hesiod’s wording describes Pandora opening this kind of container, rather than opening a small hinged box. The difference matters because the modern expression developed through later translation and artistic tradition.
The word “box” became standard in many languages after Renaissance interpretations. The Greek term was sometimes rendered as pyxis, a smaller box, and that shift helped create the familiar image. The myth itself does not describe every later detail often added to illustrations, such as a specific lock, shape, or ornate lid.