In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Pandora opened a jar rather than a box.
Hesiod uses the ancient Greek word pithos, which refers to a large storage jar or container. Such vessels were used for goods including grain, oil, and wine. The object became a “box” through later translation and retelling, especially in European literary and artistic traditions.
The myth says that the jar contained evils or troubles affecting human life. Once it was opened, these afflictions escaped into the world, while hope remained associated with the container. The exact interpretation of why hope stayed inside has been debated for centuries.
The phrase “Pandora’s box” is now firmly established in English, so modern speakers usually do not realize that the earliest surviving account specifies a jar. Greek vase paintings and later artworks often depict the container in different shapes.