a brief code of Byzantine law, promulgated by Emperor Leo III the Isaurian in the year 726. The Écloga was a revision of parts of the codification of Justinian, the Rural Code, and other acts promulgated by Byzantine emperors. It was drawn up in order to make the legislation less cumbersome and more comprehensible to the people of Byzantium. It dealt mainly with liability, the family, inheritance, and norms of criminal and procedural law. Although it provided for slavery as before, it reflected a more advanced stage of feudal relations; in particular, the procedure for liberating slaves was simplified. The Ecloga influenced several legislative works of the Slavic peoples.