The Greek word describing the large storage jar that held Pandora’s troubles is pithos.
In Hesiod’s Works and Days, the container associated with Pandora is a pithos, a large jar used in the ancient Greek world for storing goods such as grain, wine, or oil. The Greek text does not describe a small hinged box in the modern sense. The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” developed later through translation and retelling.
The distinction matters because a pithos was a substantial household or agricultural container. Its size and practical use make the myth’s image different from the neat decorative box shown in many modern illustrations. The container is also sometimes called a jar in English translations, which is accurate enough for general readers but less specific than pithos.
An amphora is another Greek vessel, usually characterized by two handles and a narrower shape. A krater was used for mixing wine and water, and a kylix was a drinking cup. None is the container named in Hesiod’s story.