Ok I just thought about it, and looked at the tech tree for a little bit. I think 1000 BC is relatively safe for Oracle since Gandhi isnt in the game. Pholkhero, I think for Oracle, marble will actually not be that useful. We will have to waste time researching masonry, then build a quarry, hook up marble, thats alot of turns lost.
Ill do a little analysis using normal mode, I think Epic should be proportional to normal. 60 turns to build oracle is pretty 'safe'.
~15 Bronze working
~7 Agriculture
~7 Wheel
~6 Mysticism
~8 Meditation
~6 Priesthood
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49: so 11 turns to build oracle
Now lets not forget, we will need to get Writing and Pottery also for Code of laws, thats what im afraid of. The time it will take to get pottery and writing.
I think we need atleast 20 turns for pottery and writing. Im basing my calculations on basically 8-10 beakers per turn. No river around us so our research will be pretty slow early game.
Now, in my opinion, I think it may be better to go pottery before we go down the oracle path. This way we will have a cottage or 2 up and it will help out our research, probably shave off 1 or 2 turns from writing. My estimations tell me, with this path we will have oracle around 800-900 BC area, its risky but I think we can do it, considering only civ up there with mysticism is monty, and he will probably be focusing on military early on. And oracle can be built in 8-9 turns very easily with a couple of chops.
Obviously, we will have to push out a settler and a few warriors before we start oracle. You guys decide now, im 50-50 either way.
[Edit] Wait wait, this is Noble level. I was basing my 1000 BC guess on Monarch level, I think we can definately get Oracle this way. But my suggested tech path is:
BW -> Wheel, Agriculture -> Pottery -> Oracle path -> Writing
[Edit 2] And obviously, if we dont have copper, I dont think Oracle is feasable.
[Edit 3] Sorry about another edit, will we have to lower our research rate with our second city if we dont get gold from a hut? Im not sure about this, might want to look into this also because if we have to lower research rate, that can cost us a few important turns.