Which ancient Greek poem by Hesiod tells the main story of Pandora’s jar?

Hesiod’s Works and Days tells the main story of Pandora’s jar.

Works and Days is a didactic poem about farming, justice, work, and proper conduct. Within that broader poem, Hesiod explains the origin of human suffering through the story of Pandora and the vessel she opens. The episode follows the conflict between Zeus and Prometheus over fire and humanity.

Hesiod also mentions Pandora in Theogony, another major early Greek poem, but the fuller account of the jar appears in Works and Days. This is why identifying the poem matters when tracing the earliest literary form of the story.

The poem is usually dated to the Archaic period of Greek literature, though its precise date remains uncertain. It is not an epic adventure like Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey; its focus is moral instruction and practical life.