You have not provided enough information to allow us to guide you in the right direction.
That said, turn off tech trading. It is an option when you start a new map and see if that doesnt help you learn the game a bit. All this will do is slow the cpu down a bit more giving you a chance to explore the game more fully.
Another thing to look out for is combat positioning. I cannot stress how important tactics are when it comes to combat. Whenever possible you want to build cities on hills and fortify them with walls and other defenses. Also remember that the longer you fortify a position with a unit the greater their defenses will become up to a certain point. Conversely, never attack an enemy that is sitting on a tactically favorable position such as a forest, jungle, or hill unless you have overwhelming odds. Lastly, take note of unit strength and weaknesses. For instance, you do not want to attack spearmen with horse units. Along the same lines, always check the odds before attacking and use various different units on defense to gain unit advantages against attacks.
That should get you through the easy difficulty. You still need to learn to micromanage cities, land plots, and resources.







