Hesiod first wrote the surviving myth of Pandora in ancient Greek literature. His two major didactic poems, Theogony and Works and Days, preserve important parts of the story.
Theogony introduces Pandora in connection with Zeus’s punishment of Prometheus, while Works and Days gives the fuller account of her creation and the opening of the jar. Hesiod presents the story as an explanation for why human life is filled with toil, illness, and other hardships.
Hesiod is usually dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE, although the exact dates are uncertain. Homer is another foundational Greek poet, but the surviving Homeric epics do not provide the classic Pandora narrative. Later writers, artists, translators, and modern storytellers expanded and reshaped Hesiod’s version.