In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, the container she opened was a jar. Hesiod used the Greek word pithos, a large storage vessel commonly associated with agricultural products such as grain, oil, or wine.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” developed later through a translation tradition. The Renaissance scholar Erasmus rendered the Greek vessel as a Latin pyxis, meaning a box or small container, and that wording strongly influenced the expression used in modern languages.
This creates one of the best-known differences between the ancient source and the popular retelling. Hesiod does not describe Pandora opening a small hinged box. He describes a substantial storage jar associated with the household world of ancient Greece.
The container’s exact contents also vary in later interpretations. Hesiod says evils escaped into the world, while Hope remained inside when the lid was replaced. Modern adaptations often portray the vessel as a compact decorative box.