Works and Days contains the most detailed surviving ancient account of Pandora opening her vessel.
The poem is attributed to Hesiod and combines practical advice about farming and justice with mythic narratives. Its Pandora episode explains how Zeus created a woman as part of the punishment connected with Prometheus's theft of fire. The poem describes the gods contributing gifts and Pandora opening the storage vessel that releases destructive forces.
The Iliad and the Odyssey, both attributed to Homer, are central Greek epics but do not contain the familiar full story of Pandora's container. Ovid's Metamorphoses is a Roman work that retells many Greek myths, yet it is not the earliest detailed source for this episode.
Works and Days is especially valuable because it preserves the ancient version behind the modern phrase. It describes a jar rather than a box, and its account of hope has generated substantial scholarly debate. Later translations and retellings changed the object and simplified the narrative.