In the original Greek story, Pandora opened a jar rather than a box.
Hesiod uses the Greek word pithos, a large storage jar commonly used for grain, oil, or wine. The container became a “box” through later translation and retelling, especially as the story moved through Latin and European literary traditions.
The difference matters because a pithos was a substantial household vessel, not a small decorated gift box. The myth’s familiar title is therefore a translation-based expression rather than a literal description of Hesiod’s original object.
Artists and writers have continued to depict the container in many forms, including boxes, jars, urns, and chests. Despite those variations, the earliest surviving literary version specifically describes a jar.