A pithos holds the evils in Hesiod’s original Pandora story.
A pithos was a large storage jar used in the ancient Greek world, commonly for commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. In Works and Days, Hesiod describes Pandora opening such a vessel, allowing the troubles destined for humanity to escape. The surviving Greek wording does not describe the object as a small hinged box.
The phrase “Pandora’s box” became standard because a later Latin translation used the word pyxis, meaning a box or small container, instead of preserving the original pithos. That translation helped shape the expression now used in English and many other languages.
The distinction matters because it shows how a famous myth changed through transmission. Ancient Greek pottery and storage jars were substantial household or agricultural containers, so the scene is better imagined as a large jar than as a modern jewelry box. Hope remains in the vessel in the traditional telling, although the exact interpretation of that ending has been debated by scholars.