Hello, and welcome to the ~eW`~>FORUM.
Check out this topic: "Talking about The Best civilization in EE2":
http://forum.ee2.eu/t952-talking-about-the-best-civilization-in-ee2
I personally think every civilization is special.
If you start the game in epoch 1, and you want to rush, then I recommend to take Turkish, Korean or Egyptian civilization, due to their unique units.
If the game starts in epoch 6, then there is no better civilization that Chinese (also British, Inca, Mayan are good).
If the game starts in epoch 11, Inca is a good civilization due to their heavy artillery (also Japanese).
But everything depends on the game pace you play.