How do Indo-European loanwords provide evidence about the early Finno-Ugric people?

Indo-European loanwords serve as a vital tool for linguists to determine the location and cultural history of the early Finno-Ugric people. Because these loanwords are shared by the most remotely related members of the Finno-Ugric division—but are absent from the Samoyed languages—they provide evidence of early contact between Proto-Finno-Ugric speakers and ancient Indo-European dialects.1

These borrowings offer significant insights into the culture and lifestyle of the early Finno-Ugrians, revealing their familiarity with specific technologies and social concepts. Examples include:

• Agriculture and Apiculture: Terms such as "honey" (e.g., Finnish mete, Hungarian méz) and "pig" (e.g., Finnish porsas) suggest an established agricultural society.1
• Resources and Social Structure: Words for "salt" and "orphan" indicate a level of societal complexity and interaction with their environment.1
• Numerals: The presence of shared terms for numbers, such as "hundred," further highlights the depth of these linguistic exchanges.1

The nature of these loanwords, combined with existing knowledge of early Indo-European, supports the theory that the Proto-Finno-Ugric people underwent a southward movement.1