Hesiod is the earliest surviving literary source for the Greek myth of Pandora's Box.
Hesiod, a Greek poet who probably lived in the late eighth or early seventh century BCE, tells the story in two works: Theogony and Works and Days. The accounts differ in detail, but both connect Pandora with the arrival of suffering among humans.
The familiar expression “Pandora's box” is technically a later wording. Hesiod describes a large storage jar, called a pithos, rather than a small box. The box wording became established through later translations and retellings.
Hesiod's version also differs from many modern adaptations. Pandora is not simply a curious woman acting alone; Zeus has her created as part of a divine punishment after Prometheus gives fire to humanity. The myth therefore links Pandora's arrival with the broader conflict between Zeus and Prometheus.