The Greek word often translated as the jar in Hesiod’s Pandora story is pithos.
A pithos was a large storage vessel used in the ancient Greek world for commodities such as grain, wine, or oil. It was substantially different from the small, portable boxes shown in many modern illustrations. The myth’s container therefore belongs to the practical world of ancient storage jars rather than to a specialized magical box.
The “box” wording became influential through later Latin translation and Renaissance interpretation. The phrase Pandora’s box is now so familiar that many readers do not realize it departs from the earliest surviving Greek wording.
Other Greek vessel names are not interchangeable. An amphora generally has two handles and a narrower shape, while a krater was used for mixing wine and water. A pithos was a large jar, making it the most specific term for Hesiod’s vessel.