I settled in place, and wished I had gone north as soon as I saw the second cow.
I was (far) too late for the Memphis site, so Orleans went on the gold/clam site to the south (2290 BC). Lyon was on the plains hill on the isthmus to the west (1810 BC). Rheims (1600 BC) was built on the island SE for copper, and axe production started.
Hinduism was founded in Memphis, which built the oracle and colossus. Shaka founded Buddhism, then Egypt founded Judaism. Thebes built Stonehange, and Memphis built the Oracle, and the Colossus.
My wars started with the barbarian city of Minoan, at the floodplains NW of the Zulu capital, captured in 510 BC.
I started my attack on Egypt stealing a pair of workers. Alexandria fell for a couple of axemen, reconnecting Lyon to Paris. Next was Heliopolis (cows and deer N of Paris), then marching on Memphis with 7 axes against 3 archers, and losing. I regrouped, and took it at a second attempt with about 11 axes, with the economy going down the drain. A short peace was signed in 140 BC.
Another wave of axes let me take Thebes in 110AD, but I had to move all my citizens from productive tiles to working coast, and pillage Egyptian land that I was about to conquer, to keep me from losing units to strikes. (Carelessly lost one just as it was about to attack Thebes). When I made peace, Egypt was reduced to tundra/arctic cities to my north-west.
City-razing would have made this game much easier, but instead I left Egypt in peace, while I set about rebuilding the economy.
Discovered Alphabet in 140AD, but having made almost no attempt at the Oracle, I still had lots of catching up to do before going for CoL. Some quick trading later, and I started CoL (251 turns remaining). So with two holy cities and no shortage of great prophets, I started building missionaries.
If I had CoL by 500 AD, I would tell you about it, but the rest of my tale of economic stagnation must wait for the next spoiler.