What type of vessel does the Greek word pithos describe in the original Pandora myth?

The Greek word pithos in the original Pandora myth describes a large storage jar.

Hesiod uses pithos for the container associated with Pandora. A pithos was a large ancient Greek storage vessel, commonly made of clay and used for commodities such as grain, oil, or wine. It was not the small hinged box suggested by the familiar English phrase “Pandora’s box.”

The box image became widespread through translation history. The Renaissance humanist Erasmus translated the Greek vessel into a Latin term meaning box or container, and that wording influenced later European tradition. The phrase then became fixed in English and many other languages.

This translation difference does not change the central story, but it explains why ancient art and modern illustrations can look so different. A large storage jar is a closer material object to the vessel described in Hesiod than a jewelry box or wooden chest.