Looks like a strong start tbh, but after exploring a little I can see what would cause issues. Julius is close to our south, separated by a desert. We're pretty restricted for land on a peninsula. There are more AIs, but I've only met three so far, and Hammi was recent. Zara is somewhere to the SE, so maybe his borders have locked out others from getting through.
Suspect(ed) there is a resource on the PH due to forests around it, but settled on it anyway. Such a strong start with being EXP. 10-turn worker. Nice surprise with the rice, but I feared having killed seafood. Turns out there is no seafood anywhere, not even up north, which I really hoped for. Makes settling a little awkward, coupled with the jungle, but there is room for 6-7 cities, so it should be fine really. May actually have to self-tech IW here, but first there are other priorities. Like securing land.
Frustrating to lose out on the Gems by moving, but no way to know about that (I moved warrior SW). Went Mining->BW from the start, and suppose there was a tiny boost from meeting Julius before T5, due to postponing selecting a tech.
Unusual for me, but built an early second worker. Not directly, wanted a warrior first, but before the settler. We have a lot of forests here, get a boost on workers anyway, don't have that many good tiles to work, and it's beneficial to chop out settlers.
Timing was quite nice. Second city was settled west, which can work the Ivory and help with cottages once those are up. Will get access to rice too, but obviously that is blocked by jungle for now. As a result of chopping, the next settler is out in 2520BC.
Third city went south by the marble in T40. The very same turn Julius settled on the desert hill, but thankfully that didn't ruin the intended city location. No food of its own, but has an oasis, and can later get the spice (also 3-food). Just a support city, but does grab the marble, which may be important later.
The worker on the spice is actually roading, because I didn't want to chop down that forest. It's a decent tile to work, even unimproved. Later he will chop the forest 1S, and then farm it.
After first getting out a warrior to help fogbust the north (luckily no barbs spawned there in the meantime), I'm chopping out a new worker in the second city, despite being only size 1 at the time.
After getting out a warrior of its own while growing to size 4, I decide to whip a settler in the capital. Hurts cottage development a little, but I want to get a city up north in preparation of borders expanding and covering the Gems. It can borrow the rice as needed.
Fourth city is settled in T50, so that was kinda fortunate given I thought we did 50-turn sets. I see there are several 60T instead, but I stopped here.
Should have enough gold to still get Writing in two turns. However, what may also be observed, is rather stark news. Possibly.
Julius is plotting!!
He started plotting around 2200BC. What the hell can you do if he happens to plot on us? That early? Not a whole bloody lot. He doesn't have access to Praetorians yet (no brag), but he may well have IW already, so it may not be long until he does. Slightly calmed by the Axe in Cumae moving away and not in our direction, but can't know what is really happening there, and if he has picked a target yet. If it's on us, we're basically fecked. No strategic resource yet, though it's possible we have either Iron or Horses somewhere. Not that horses does us much good anyway against him, but yeah...
Edit: Oh, the rice wasn't jungled? It was when I saw it in the very early turns
Edit again: Went back through some manual and autosaves. Earliest autosave still has it jungled. In T6, when capital borders expands, it isn't jungled. But in T11 when the worker is out, the rice is already jungled. Pretty bad luck in this game!! (except with barbs, as none showed up)