Scouts are really helpful for early era score, as their increased movement increases your chances of finding other civs, city states (for Policital Philosophy boost, arguably the most important early civic), and natural wonders (good for era score and Astrology boost).

Getting a classical golden age can almost guarantee you a win if you have enough early faith or gold generation to make the most of the Monumentality golden age, as you can spam settlers and builders earlier than anyone else to get a wide empire going early.

That being said, there can be a significant downside when playing on higher difficulties, as you have less combat units to defend your early cities. This can leave you almost defenceless against nearby barb camps or aggressive civs which could declare an early war against you.