The Silk Roads have always been not only a major vehicle for the exchange of material and cultural products, but also a means of intensive linguistic contact. Among the languages spoken in ancient times on the Silk Roads, we must consider, in addition to Chinese, also Gandhari, Sogdian, Bactrian, Tocharian, Old Turkic, Tangut, etc. We will describe some characteristics of these languages, belonging to different linguistic families, and their contacts with examples from ancient texts. We will also consider the material characteristics of the objects on which these texts were written (e.g., objects intended to be placed in tombs). All this will provide relevant background information on the traditions of the people who traveled across the Silk Roads, according to a perspective of linguistic contact which is also attentive to the social and cultural factors of the speakers.