The English phrase “Pandora’s box” means a source of endless troubles or unexpected problems. It comes from the later tradition surrounding Pandora’s vessel in Greek mythology.
Hesiod’s Works and Days describes a large storage jar, not a box. The Greek word pithos referred to a substantial container used for storing goods. The “box” wording became established through later translation and retelling, especially in European literary culture.
In the myth, Pandora opens the container and releases hardships into the world. Hope remains inside, although ancient translations and interpretations differ over whether hope is trapped or deliberately preserved. Modern English uses the phrase figuratively for an action that produces many unforeseen consequences.
The expression is now common in journalism, politics, law, and technology. It does not literally refer to a particular historical box; it is an idiom derived from the myth’s container and its consequences.