Hesiod’s Works and Days contains the earliest surviving account of Pandora’s story.
Works and Days is a didactic poem traditionally attributed to Hesiod, usually dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE. It combines advice about farming and justice with myths explaining humanity’s difficult condition, including the story of Pandora.
Hesiod also wrote the Theogony, which discusses the gods’ genealogy and includes related material about Pandora. The fuller narrative of the jar, the escaped evils, and hope is associated especially with Works and Days.
The work is not a modern myth collection. It is addressed to Hesiod’s brother Perses and uses myth to support arguments about labor, justice, and proper conduct. This context helps explain why Pandora’s story is framed as an account of why human life includes suffering and work.