A gold glass disc, dating from the fourth century A.D., depicts a Torah Shrine. The similarity of this representation to the newly discovered stone ark pediment is further evidence that such arks were found in Roman-Byzantine synagogues. Inside the open ark, rolled Torah scrolls lie on shelves with their ends facing the viewer. Lions flank the design, although they are not located on the pediment of the ark as at Nabratein.
Gold glass was made by Jewish artisans in Alexandria as early as the third century B.C. and for hundreds of years thereafter. The glass is actually a laminate of gold between two layers of glass.