Hesiod gives the fullest surviving ancient Greek account of Pandora opening the vessel.
The story appears most completely in Hesiod’s Works and Days, a poem traditionally dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE. Hesiod describes Pandora’s creation, her gifts from the gods, her marriage or arrival with Epimetheus, and the opening of the container that releases human troubles.
Hesiod also mentions Pandora in the Theogony, but that earlier genealogical poem provides less narrative detail. The two poems are important because they are the principal early literary sources for the myth. Homer, although central to Greek epic poetry, does not provide the standard Pandora jar story.
Later writers, artists, translators, and modern storytellers expanded or altered the episode. The phrase “Pandora’s box” became especially influential after the ancient jar was rendered as a box in later European tradition. Thus, many familiar details ultimately trace back to Hesiod, even when modern versions add elements not stated in his poems.