Spice trading in Europe, during the sixteenth century, played a crucial role in the advancement of Western Europe, and the colonization of the New World. Spices like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger were known to Asians, and Africans long before before the Age of Exploration. However, they soon became very valuable items in the early trade markets. The importance of spice trade is that it has gotten us to where we are today. It may seem like such a small thing, but without spice trading, there wouldn’t have been a discovery of the rest of the world. The first ever recorded use of spices, was likely in Asia, in the Assyrian Empire. The spices were used for religious purposes. It was said that the Gods drank sesame wine, before they created the earth. The utilization of sesame as a food flavoring is so old, that its origins can't be properly traced. The Assyrian legend depicts the first historical evidence of spice trade before the Europeans. After the descent of the Mongol Empire, which had indadvertedly protected the European trade routes, and the ascent of the Ottoman Empire, Europe had successfully been obstructed from the spice and silk trade routes. In the fifteenth century, Venice was in a very influential position in the Asian spice trading business. To be able to severe the Venetians monopoly, other countries started sending out explorers, to find new sources of spices and other goods. This was era was called the Age of Exploration and Discovery, since it led to the finding of entire civilizations and cultures. A lot of the European explorers were mostly out for natural resources like precious metals, and jewels. While they searched for the metals and jewels, they mapped out the important trade routes for silk and spices. Ship voyaging was very big in the trading business, as the ships are what brought many spices and goods. In his early twenties, Christopher Columbus worked as a trading apprentice for influential famil