Hesiod’s original account calls Pandora’s container a pithos, a large ancient Greek storage jar.
A pithos was a substantial ceramic vessel used for storing commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. Its size and practical role differ from the small hinged box shown in many modern illustrations. The jar image fits the vocabulary and material culture of archaic Greece.
The phrase “Pandora’s box” became established later. A Latin translation associated with Erasmus used a term connected with a box or casket, and that wording strongly influenced European retellings. The change became so familiar that it largely replaced the ancient jar in popular culture.
This translation history does not change the plot’s central event: Pandora opens a container, troubles escape, and hope remains. It does explain why archaeological images of large Greek storage jars can be more faithful to Hesiod than the standard box illustration.