A pithos was the ancient Greek storage vessel turned into a “box” in the Pandora myth.
Hesiod’s Works and Days uses the Greek word pithos for the container Pandora opened. A pithos was a large jar, commonly used to store commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. It could be tall and substantial, unlike the small hinged box suggested by the modern English phrase.
The “box” wording became established through later translation and retelling. Erasmus used the Latin word pyxis, meaning box, in a sixteenth-century rendering, helping shape the expression that became familiar in European languages. The phrase is now deeply rooted in English even though it does not describe the original vessel accurately.
An amphora was also a Greek storage vessel, but it usually had two handles and a different form. A krater was used for mixing wine and water, while a kylix was a drinking cup. Those vessels are not the container in Pandora’s story.