Which ancient Greek work presents Pandora as part of the origin of human misery?

The story behind the answer

Hesiod’s Works and Days presents Pandora as part of the origin of human misery.

The poem is an didactic work combining farming advice, moral instruction, myths, and reflections on justice. Its Pandora episode explains why harmful conditions affect human life after an earlier age of easier existence. The story follows Prometheus’s theft of fire and Zeus’s response.

Works and Days is especially important because it gives the fullest surviving Hesiodic account of the container episode. Theogony also mentions Pandora, but more briefly and with a different emphasis. The title is often translated as Works and Days, though ancient Greek titles and manuscript traditions can produce variations in presentation. The poem is attributed to Hesiod and is generally dated to the early archaic period of Greek literature.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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