A Hominins timeline to help put things in perspective:
7-6 million years ago: Possible divergence of the lineage leading to humans from the lineage leading to chimpanzees and bonobos (our closest living relatives).
Ardipithecus kadabba (~5.8-5.2 million years ago)
Ardipithecus ramidus (~4.4 million years ago)
Australopithecus anamensis (~4.2-3.9 million years ago)
Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy) (~3.9-2.9 million years ago)
Kenyanthropus platyops (~3.5 million years ago)
Australopithecus africanus (~3.3-2.1 million years ago)
Paranthropus aethiopicus (~2.7-2.3 million years ago)
Australopithecus garhi (~2.5 million years ago)
Paranthropus robustus (~2-1.2 million years ago)
Homo habilis (~2.1-1.5 million years ago)
Homo rudolfensis (~1.9 million years ago)
Homo ergaster/Homo erectus (~1.9 million years ago - ~143,000 years ago)
Paranthropus boisei (~1.7-1.1 million years ago)
Homo heidelbergensis (~700,000-300,000 years ago)
Homo naledi (~335,000-236,000 years ago)
Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) (~400,000-40,000 years ago)
Denisovans (around 300,000-50,000 years ago)
Homo sapiens (modern humans) (~300,000 years ago to present)
