Hesiod wrote *Works and Days*, the earliest surviving literary source for Pandora’s story.
Hesiod was a Greek poet active around the late eighth or early seventh century BCE. *Works and Days* combines farming advice, moral instruction and mythic narratives, including the account of Pandora and the jar. His other major poem, *Theogony*, describes the origins and genealogies of the gods but gives less detail about the jar episode.
Hesiod’s version strongly links Pandora to Zeus’ punishment of humanity after Prometheus steals fire. Later Greek and Roman authors adapted the story, and Renaissance translators helped establish the English phrase “Pandora’s box.” Because earlier oral traditions may have existed, Hesiod is best described as the earliest surviving written source, not necessarily the inventor of every element.