I managed to find a more direct rout towards Alpha Centauri, and my spaceship landed in 1225.
Again with the chinese on deity level.
Before pressing end turn in 1200 the stats are:
25 cities (all with aqueducts built in 950)
Size 229 Food 186 Production 244
Science 2275 Gold 928 Culture 106 Buildings 101
I used 3-4 scientists to advance my science 8 turns in key areas like the corporation and mass media. I captured a mongolian settler pretty early, but otherwise pretty much ignored the AI:s, and was lucky to have plenty of space to expand from my starting position.
Only two artifacts in the game, and that lone knight was of no use at all, since I just had made a 10 turn peace treaty with the americans and my galley couldnt really reach any other civ within a reasonable time.
Key to the fast pace with science, was lots of barbarian villages and caravans that led to early libraries, and that I halted my research on Invention and rushed navigation in year 0, because I had located Lost City of Atlantis.
Next turn I finished Invention and got a great builder, that I instantly ordered to build the East India Company.
With the coming of the industrial era, the chinese 20 hammer libraries worked wonders in combination with democracy and the east india company.
So...
1225...
Is there alot of people out there, that have landed a space ship before 1000 AD, on Deity level?