It has been 1,927 years since the Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted and devastated Pompeii. Yet the tragedy and its aftermath are still haunting, fascinating and relevant today.

"A Day in Pompeii," at Charlotte's Discovery Place, features 250 artifacts, several interactive showcases and even eight body casts of victims.

The artifacts give a detailed glimpse into the lives of Pompeii's inhabitants, from slaves to government officials. Visitors can see carbonized bread, coins, medical instruments and religious sculptures, each item protected for two millennia by ash and dust. The collection contains simple kitchenware as well as ornate frescos and intricate jewelry.

"I think people are curious about how these people lived their lives before the disaster because in a lot of ways they weren't so dissimilar to us," said John Mackay, CEO and president of Discovery Place. "The disaster is a side story. I think people are fascinated by antiquity."

Discovery Place is the last stop on a four-city tour. Originally put together by the Gulf Coast Exploreum in Mobile, Ala., and Italian conservators from the Soprintendenza Archaeologica di Napoli e Pompeii, the exhibit has been a joint effort of the Science Museum of Minnesota, the San Diego Natural History Museum and Discovery Place. Each museum has offered supplementary exhibits, and Discovery Place is adding interactive programs on volcanoes, ancient architecture and tectonic geology.

In June, the exhibit left San Diego, where it drew 131,000 visitors, second only to attendance at last year's Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.

"The Pompeii event is so legendary and intriguing because it was such an unbelievable tragedy that affected everyone there," said Delle Willette, public relations director for San Diego's museum.

On Aug. 24, A.D. 79, after several earthquakes signaled the upcoming event, Mount Vesuvius erupted. Within two days, the surrounding towns, Pompeii and Herculaneum, were buried under 12 layers of ash and soil. The debris suffocated about 20,000 inhabitants and left the cities impenetrable and abandoned.

It wasn't until 1738 and 1748 that Herculaneum and Pompeii were recovered, respectively. Since then, innovative excavation techniques, such as the use of plaster casts to re-create the forms of decomposed victims, have been employed to capture the full devastation.

Of the eight body casts in this exhibit, six are human, one is a dog and another is a pig. In many of the casts, the expressions and body language eerily convey the terror and helplessness experienced by the victims.

"I think this event is interesting because it is so relevant," Mackay said. "We may have more advanced technologies in recent years to warn us of naturally occurring tragedies like tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes and tornadoes, but we still have no control over them."

Paired with the Pompeii exhibit is the IMAX film "Greece: Secrets of the Past" (chosen because there are no IMAX films on Pompeii). It examines the ancient Greek civilization, often cited as the birthplace of democracy and freedom, through modern archeological finds and techniques similar to those used to tell the story of Pompeii.