Does anyone else think that the Statue of Zeus is overpowered? The 3-2-2 Ancient Cavalry would be powerful enough with normal HP; the additional HP (resulting in 6 HP Elites and potentially 18 HP AC Armies) makes a swarm of ACs a nearly unstoppable offensive weapon in the Ancient Age and early Middle Age.
You can build the (cheap) SoZ early if you beeline to Mathematics as soon as you spot Ivory, and it stays in effect pumping out units all the way until Metallurgy. I usually get at least 30 ACs from the statue, and its not uncommon to wind up with 40 or so in total. They remain useful as defensive weapons until Replaceable Parts, and I have often used ACs to destroy an AI's invading Cavalry stack.
I like to use the Germans, and I find the Statue of Zeus to be the perfect way to make up for the Germans' slow start. I typically play normal sized, 70% water continents on Monarch. On many occasions, I have been able to conquer my entire home continent using nothing but my ACs. That way, I can conquer the continent while simultaneously building the infrastructure of my core cities; in other words, the ToZ allows you to play as both a warmonger and a builder at the same time! After securing my continent, I can race ahead in the tech race and launch a Panzer-led conquest of the rest of the world.
I also usually try to get the Knights Templar to keep it out of the AI's hands, but it is far less useful than the SoZ.