Hesiod originally described a pithos in the story now called Pandora’s box.
A pithos was a large ancient Greek storage jar, commonly used for goods such as grain, oil, or wine. Hesiod uses this word in Works and Days when describing the container associated with Pandora. The vessel was therefore not originally a small wooden box with a hinged lid, as modern illustrations often show.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” developed through later translation history. The Renaissance scholar Erasmus translated the Greek term into Latin as pyxis, a word associated with a box. English and other European languages then adopted the box image through subsequent retellings.
This translation change affected the visual identity of the myth but not its central theme. In both versions, a sealed container holds troubles that escape into the world when it is opened. Archaeological evidence shows that pithoi were substantial vessels, sometimes large enough for long-term storage, making the ancient image very different from the compact box of popular culture.