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How did Artaxerxes II change the religious practices of the Achaemenid court?

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Relief of three Achaemenid warriors, known as the Ten Thousand Immortals, depicted in profile on glazed bricks with patterned robes and bows, from the Palace of Artaxerxes at Susa.
Achaemenid Empire Frieze of Archers from the palace of Darius I at Susa, c. 510 bce; some believe the warriors are among the Ten Thousand Immortals.

During the reign of Artaxerxes II, the religious practices of the Achaemenid court underwent a notable shift in emphasis, characterized by the formal inclusion of deities beyond the supreme god Ahura Mazda.12

While previous Achaemenid kings primarily invoked Ahura Mazda in their royal inscriptions, Artaxerxes II began including the ancient Iranian deities Mithra and the goddess Anahita alongside him. This change reflected a broader acceptance of these figures within the royal religion, signaling a move toward incorporating deities from older, popular Iranian traditions that had previously been neglected in official state inscriptions.123

Furthermore, Artaxerxes II introduced the use of religious imagery, a practice not previously associated with the Persians. He commissioned the installation of statues of the goddess Anahita in various large cities throughout the empire. These developments illustrate a period of religious syncretism and evolution within the Achaemenid court, as the state religion adapted to include a wider pantheon of deities.13