More than 500 horses entombed alive with a deceased emperor about 2,500 years ago will be restored and exhibited to the public next year, the Zibo city government in east China's Shandong Province said on Friday.

The owner of the tomb, Qi Jinggong, was an emperor of the Qi State during the late Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC). Archaeologists said most of the horses were aged six to seven when they were buried in order to "accompany" the emperor underground, a common tradition for the time.

The discovery provides valuable information with regard to the history, economy, military and burials of ancient China.

The local government said it would invest more than 70 million yuan (11 mln U.S. dollars) to excavate and preserve the ancient horse pit over the next three to five years.

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