The Heroes of Olympus
A less common inspiration is the ancient world. A famous example is the Hyborian Age (the fictional world of "Conan the Barbarian"), which features analogues of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Roman Empire, among others. Three notable recent series with such settings are: "Bartimaeus" by Jonathan Stroud, "Percy Jackson &amp; the Olympians" and "The Heroes of Olympus" by Rick Riordan.