Pandora’s jar was called a pithos in ancient Greek.
A pithos was a large storage jar used in the ancient Mediterranean, commonly for products such as grain, oil, or wine. In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Pandora opens a pithos and releases the troubles that then spread among humanity. The vessel is therefore materially different from the small box suggested by the modern English phrase.
The “box” wording became influential through later translation history, especially a Latin rendering associated with Erasmus. The original Greek term refers to a substantial container rather than a hinged box. This translation shift helped turn the myth into one of the most recognizable cautionary expressions in English.
A pithos should not be confused with an amphora, which usually has two handles and a narrower shape, or a krater, a vessel used for mixing wine and water. Those are distinct forms of ancient Greek pottery.