Pandora’s container was called a pithos in the ancient Greek text.
A pithos was a large storage jar used in the ancient Mediterranean, especially for commodities such as grain, wine, or oil. The word is masculine in Greek, and Hesiod’s account uses it for the vessel Pandora opens. Its size and practical purpose differ substantially from the small hinged box shown in many modern illustrations.
The familiar expression “Pandora’s box” developed through later translation history. The Renaissance humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam translated the Greek vessel as a Latin “pyxis,” a box, in a version associated with the myth. That choice helped establish the wording now used in English and many other languages.
The pithos detail matters because it shows how myths can change through translation without losing their central idea. Ancient vase paintings and modern books may depict different containers, but the narrative function remains the same: opening it releases evils or troubles into the human world. Hope is traditionally described as remaining inside.