Hesiod uses the Greek term pithos for the large jar in the Pandora story. A pithos was a substantial storage vessel, usually made of clay, used in the ancient Greek world for commodities such as grain, oil, or wine.
The word matters because Hesiod’s original account does not describe Pandora opening a small hinged box. The “box” image became dominant through later translation and retelling. In the sixteenth century, Erasmus translated the container with the Latin term pyxis, which means box or small container, helping establish the modern expression.
Archaeological examples show that pithoi could be very large and were often kept partly underground or supported in storage areas. Their practical function makes the myth’s original object more like a household or agricultural storage jar than a decorative treasure chest.
Pithos should not be confused with an amphora, a more familiar Greek vessel with two handles and a narrower body. Nor is it a krater, which was used for mixing wine and water. These distinctions explain why the ancient wording is an important part of the story’s history.