Which ancient Greek poem tells the Pandora story in its fullest surviving version?

Works and Days tells the Pandora story in its fullest surviving ancient Greek version.

The poem is attributed to Hesiod and combines advice about farming, justice, labor, and proper conduct with mythological explanations. Its account of Pandora appears during a discussion of why human life includes toil and suffering. The story links Pandora with Zeus’s response to Prometheus and with the troubles that affect humanity.

Hesiod also discusses related divine and human themes elsewhere, especially in Theogony. However, the narrative details most readers associate with Pandora’s jar are preserved in Works and Days. That poem is therefore the standard primary literary source for the myth.

The text is not a modern adventure tale. It is a didactic poem, meaning that its myths support broader lessons about work, justice, limits, and the consequences of divine and human actions.