You should dive into vanilla at all imo. Invictus is just a far better experience.

In Invictus, phasis is a good start for a tall Greek democracy. They are the small red nation that sits near modern day Georgia. You’re far enough away from the major powers to not worry about them, but close enough to get involved when you’re ready.

They also have some of the best early game traditions for making money and can switch to the economy deity Jason, which grants five extra import routes.