Positive Cultural Appropriation

Thinking a bit more about cultural appropriation and the idea it is always colonialist and nasty (pace Edward Said), it is worth observing that there have been times when appropriated a culture has been a direct compliment to that culture. 

I am thinking especially of the Romans and the Greeks, who throughout European history found their cultural symbols/tropes/words and institutions interpreted to add dignity/legitimacy to existing rulers and institutions.  Some example in no particular order might include the barbarian kingdoms that succeeded the Romans adopting their words/institutions/religion.  The most famous being Charlemagne who created the Holy Roman Empire which was of course neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.  The use of many later cultures to add dignity to their architecture through the additional of classical styles.  The somewhat bizarre convention in certain eighteenth century paintings for modern English gentlemen to appear in togas.  The use of Latin and Greek for various inscriptions and dedications long after those languages were being used by anyone for anything practical. 

There are examples which I am quite surprised to find occurring given the link being son tenuous, but it is suggested that William the Conqueror built his enormous Colchester Castle in that location because it was on the remains of the Temple of Claudius, thus giving the Norman warlord a kind of ancestral link to the Roman Emperor who conquered Britain. 

In all these cases the "appropriation" is not to dominate a culture, but more to claim greater legitamcy from it.