Man has evolved from earlier hominins over a period of around 7 million years. The earliest known hominins in turn had the same ancestors as other primates, with which we share most of our DNA.
Sahelanthropus tchadensis, dated to around 7-6 million years ago, may be the earliest hominin species, thus our oldest human-like ancestors. Various other hominin species have been identified, and the consensus of scientists is that our species, Homo sapiens, is directly descended from Homo erectus.