Pithos is the ancient Greek word for the large jar in Pandora’s story. Hesiod uses this term for the container whose opening releases the troubles afflicting human life.
A pithos was a large storage vessel, usually ceramic, used in ancient Greece for goods such as grain, oil, and wine. Some were tall enough to be partly buried in the ground. This everyday agricultural object is very different from the small hinged box shown in many modern illustrations.
The later phrase “Pandora’s box” arose through a translation choice associated with Desiderius Erasmus. He rendered the Greek pithos with the Latin-derived idea of a box or small container, and that wording became influential in European languages.
Pithos is often confused with amphora, another well-known Greek vessel. An amphora generally has two handles and a narrower body, while a pithos is a large storage jar. Pyxis, meanwhile, is the word connected with the later box interpretation.