Which ancient Greek work contains Hesiod’s longer account of Pandora’s creation?

Hesiod’s longer account of Pandora’s creation appears in Works and Days.

Works and Days is an ancient Greek didactic poem traditionally attributed to Hesiod. It combines practical advice about farming and justice with mythological stories, including the creation of Pandora and the deterioration of human life through the Ages of Man. The Pandora passage forms part of the poem’s explanation of why hardship exists.

Theogony, another work attributed to Hesiod, also mentions Pandora-related material, but it gives a briefer version. This distinction matters because readers sometimes cite Theogony as though it contains the full narrative. The two poems overlap in subject but differ in emphasis and length.

Works and Days is not a conventional epic like Homer’s Iliad. It is organized around moral instruction, agricultural labor, justice, and relations between humans and the gods. Pandora’s story is embedded in that broader teaching rather than standing as an independent mythic tale.