It took me 100 turns to discover Writing (50 turns for Alphabet and another 50 turns for Writing). My civ was way behide in tech. However, I was totally stunt to realize I just beat both the Korean and Sumerian to Writing and it paid off big time too.

I traded Writing for The Wheel + Mathematics + 399 gold (that was all they got) + 10gpt. Wow!
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_530bc_trade1.jpg
Of course, since Korea was the next door neighbor of Sumeria, there was no point in keeping the secret of Writing from the Sumeria. They gave me Bronze Working and all their gold (271 gold) for my Writing tech.
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_530bc_trade2.jpg
Note: I was very happy to noticed that there was two source of horses within my boundary.

On the sad note, as far as I could see, Furs is the only type of luxury on my island.
By 450bc, my good friend Theodora was first to discover the secret of Literature. This was my tech tree at the beginning of turn 450BC (as my advisor was complaining something about being backward in tech):
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_tech_tree.jpg
Of course, "we can't allow this to continue", my advisor said! it was time for some major trading...
1. Byzantine: Brought Literature from her for 524 gold
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade1.jpg
2. Persia: Traded Literature for 183 gold + Map Making + 7 gpt
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade2.jpg
3. Korea: Traded Map Making for their Iron Working + Mysticism + Warrior Code + 4 gold
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade3.jpg
It was very disappointed to know that there was absolutely no iron anywhere. Except for Persia, no one else had any iron.

Of course, Persia was an ocean away and it would be impossible to make a trade until the age of Navigation. Anyway, life went on.
4. Sumeria: Traded Map Making + Literature for Polytheism + Construction
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade4.jpg
5. Babylon: Trade Literature for Philosophy
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade5.jpg
6. Sumeria: Trade Philosophy for Horseback Riding
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade6.jpg
7. Byzantines: Contruction for Currency + 311 gold
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade7.jpg
8. Korea: Contruction + Philosophy for Monarchy
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade8.jpg
9. Persia: Currency for Code of Law. Note: Xerxes offered me that deal at the end of my turn - since Persia was an ocean away, I suspected he had contact with Greece and Germany; therefore, I didn't really want to trade tech with him at all. It was a mistake; he caught me off guard and I agreed to his term. However, looking back, he could have deal with Babylon too; therefore, I was wrong to withhold tech from him in the first place, but then again, I'm sure I got good reason for not dealing with him in the first place. IIRC, he was at war with Babylon; therefore, I was his only tech dealer in town, except for Greece and Germany that I hadn't yet meet.
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_450bc_trade9.jpg
A few more turns after that, I hooked up with Germany and was able to get the rest of the AIs' free techs (plus Republic). It was just a tech lead for just 1 turn, but still it was a "lead" and my advisor was very happy "we are technologically advanced!", he said.
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads7/ms_sid5_390bc_tech_tree.jpg
What my advisor failed to notice was that "we are also the riches civ in the world and the rest of the AIs' treasuries were 100% empty, not to mention that some of them are owning us a lot of gold per turn too).

Oh well, can't expect my advisor to know everything.
BTW, this also was the end of my first session. I had been playing for more than 6 hours straight since 4000BC to 390BC in one shot without any break; I was tired and now looking back I can't really make head and tail with the rest of my note. Basically, I gave a lot of techs to the AIs to introduce most of them to the Middle Age to lower the cost of the free techs (hint: they were all scientific civs and my Mayan was the only non-scientific in this game

). Then I bought those free techs and turned around to sell to whomever could afford them.
