My strategy always involved fortified walls, guard towers and priests.
I liked to try to make walls and towers just to do it, but eventually I think I quit doing it in the game because once catapults came out they just became a waste of resources when you enemies could destroy them so easily.
The Assyrians could make their archers and chariots come out so quick that you could usually destroy the other person before they had a chance to build up anything. I think a lot of people quit using them because it was almost like borderline cheating.
I also remember making a scout to send out as soon as possible to tell where the other town was. They were cheap and once you found the place you could pick off some of their peasants just to annoy them, especially if they didn't have any real ****** units out yet.
That must have been 9 or 10 years ago when I played it already. I can't believe I remember it.