Early Exploration and Trade (15th-17th centuries):
* Spices: Black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon were highly valued for their flavor, preserving properties, and medicinal uses.
* Luxury Goods: Silk, precious stones (like diamonds, rubies, emeralds), gold, silver, ivory, and exotic animals (for zoos and menageries) were sought after for their beauty, rarity, and status symbol value.
* New Trade Routes: Europeans were looking for sea routes to Asia to bypass the expensive overland routes controlled by Muslim traders. This led to the Age of Exploration and the discovery of new lands and routes.
Colonial Era (17th-19th centuries):
* Raw Materials: Cotton, sugar, tobacco, coffee, tea, timber, rubber, and other raw materials were in high demand for European industries and factories.
* Land and Resources: European powers sought to establish colonies in order to control resources and exploit land for agriculture and mining.
* Slaves: The transatlantic slave trade was a horrific system that brought millions of Africans to the Americas to work on plantations.
Later Periods (19th-20th centuries):
* Industrial Materials: Oil, iron ore, coal, and other minerals became crucial for industrial production and the development of new technologies.
* Markets: European nations sought new markets to sell their manufactured goods, which contributed to colonialism and imperialism.
* Scientific and Cultural Knowledge: European scientists and explorers were driven by a thirst for knowledge and understanding of the world, leading to discoveries in geography, biology, and other fields.
It's important to note that:
* European desires were often driven by economic motivations, but also by cultural and political factors.
* The pursuit of these items had a profound and often negative impact on the societies and environments of the lands they encountered.
For a more specific answer, please provide a particular time period or specific region you are interested in!