It is well‑known that the notions of peace, rest and order belonged to the royal Achaemenid
ideology, particularly from the time of Darius I onwards. This can be witnessed in Achaemenid ar‑
chitecture, iconography and royal inscriptions. However, although the relations between the Persian
Empire and the Greek city‑states were never completely peaceful, the diplomatic relations between
Persia and particularly Sparta emphasised the value and importance of peace for international pol‑
itics. How did this international discourse influence the literature formation in Yehud at the same
time? In addition, can one read the Chronicler’s portrayal of King Solomon of old as playful (and un‑
dermining) irony and polemic against the imperial masters? In this article, I revisit an earlier study
in which I have started investigating the rhetorical locus of the Chronicler’s portrayal of this king.