Which ancient Greek poem first gives the detailed story of Pandora’s jar?

Works and Days is the ancient Greek poem that first gives the detailed surviving story of Pandora’s jar. The poem is attributed to Hesiod and combines farming advice, moral instruction, mythology, and reflections on justice.

In its mythological section, Zeus punishes humanity after Prometheus gives humans fire. The gods help create Pandora, and she later becomes connected with a sealed jar whose opening releases destructive conditions into human life. Hesiod presents the episode as part of an explanation for why suffering exists.

Hesiod also tells a related account in the Theogony, but the Theogony is briefer and does not provide the same complete jar narrative found in Works and Days. That difference is why scholars and reference works usually identify Works and Days as the principal early source for the Pandora story.

The poem is generally dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE. Its title refers to the practical and ethical advice it gives about work, farming, justice, and proper conduct.