Pithos is the ancient Greek name for the large storage jar behind Pandora’s “box.”
A pithos was a large ceramic vessel used for storing goods, including grain, oil, or wine. Hesiod’s Greek text uses this type of container in the Pandora episode. The object was not necessarily a small personal vessel, and its size could make it a practical household or agricultural storage container.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” became established after a Renaissance Latin translation used the word pyxis, meaning a box or small container, instead of preserving the original jar image. Erasmus’s translation is widely associated with this shift in the tradition. Amphora is a different Greek vessel type, usually recognizable by its two handles, while a krater was used for mixing wine and water. A lekythos was a narrower vessel associated especially with oils.