Which Hesiod poem tells the Pandora story as part of humanity’s origins?

Hesiod’s Works and Days tells the Pandora story as part of its account of humanity’s condition. The poem combines advice about farming and justice with myths explaining why human life includes hardship.

In this version, Zeus creates Pandora after Prometheus gives fire to mortals. Pandora is sent to Epimetheus, who accepts her despite his brother’s warning. When the container is opened, troubles spread into the human world.

Hesiod also discusses Pandora in the Theogony, so the two poems are easy to confuse. The Theogony gives a shorter genealogical and divine account, while Works and Days places the episode within a broader explanation of labor, suffering, and the human age.

The poem is usually dated to the early seventh century BCE, although exact dating remains uncertain. It is one of the earliest surviving Greek works connected with the Pandora tradition.