Pithos is the name of the large ancient Greek storage jar used for Hesiod’s Pandora vessel.
The Greek word pithos refers to a substantial ceramic container, often used to store commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. Hesiod uses this word in Works and Days when describing the vessel associated with Pandora and the evils released into the world.
A pithos was different from an amphora, which generally had two handles and was commonly used for transport or storage. A krater was a mixing vessel for wine and water, while a kylix was a drinking cup. Those terms describe other kinds of Greek pottery, not Hesiod’s container.
The later phrase “Pandora’s box” results from a translation shift rather than the original object. Recognizing pithos helps explain why ancient artistic and scholarly discussions often depict the myth with a large jar instead of a small box.