Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. charts the ancient rise of Christianity and Islam, whose economic and cultural influence stretched from Egypt to Ethiopia. Learn of African religious figures like King Lalibela, an Ethiopian saint, and Menelik, bringer of the Ark of the Covenant.

Originally released by PBS, 2017. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on November 06, 2017.

Introduction: The Crescent and the Cross (2:59); --Kingdom of Axum (6:45); -- Queen of Sheba (3:48); -- Christianity Reached Africa (7:41); -- Rome (3:31); -- Early Christian Kingdoms (3:15); -- Islam reaches Africa (3:01); -- Islam Looks Toward Europe (4:59); -- Christian Axum (7:35); -- Lake Tana (4:59); -- Festival of Timkat (3:21); -- Credits: Africa's Great Civilizations— Part 2: The Crescent and the Cross (0:45); -- The Crescent (1:00); .