This is a good one. I was persia on a huge map with all random. Warm, Normal humidtity, and 4 bill yrs. I was on an island with a few moutains some hills alot of grass land 2 tiles of tundra and some dessert with plains between the dessert and grassland. I also had rivers all over the place and a few forests around there.

The big thing was. I wass cnnected to the mainland by one coast tile square.

So i did what i alwasy do. I get pottery iron working and bee-line for Mon After mon a beeline for map making and send a galley out for korea (did not know them yet) I get there and all the AI's are in middle ages and have contact with each other.

Now my first mistake was a big one. I forgot to up the sceince tax. SO i got all those techs doing 40 turns running a scientist. The upside was i had 8000 gold and pulled 120 a turn. (lots of gold filled moutains.) Usign this gold i bought contact with everyone and every acient tech i did not have. I also bought the first 3 middle techs, true i never got any wonders so far, but i got an embassy with everyone. ROP with a few. A nice military. And enough to defend all my 23 or 24 cities with 2 spears while pulling 26gpt and science at 60 getting techs in 8 turns.

And i neve made contact until 660AD.

Currently pre-building for Cop, and then going for newtons.