Zulu you're not listening. Problem with many militant evolutionists is they talk when they should be listening. The problem we have is when you're use of the term "common ancestors". That “Common ancestor” has never been found. In fact study on Neanderthal man has shown that through DNA analysis that it was improbably we had a common ancestor.
http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/SUA10/neander797.html
Were hominids present around the same time as modern man, absolutely. But many of the theorems on evolution from a common Eastern African ancestor are not agreed universally in the scientific community. All theories nailing Darwinian evolution as scientific fact to this date have been either disproven or are on shaky ground, see Piltdown man. How many transitional species have been found to date, let me help you, a fat goose egg '0'. No short neck giraffes found to this date. I have a better question for you, if you are serious about the truth, why do you want the evolution theory to be true? Think about my question and not fire back with the “Skeptic” magazine James Randy type philosophical mumbo jumbo word games answer.
I'm familiar with studies that indicate no genetic connection between Neanderthals and most anthropologists seem to agree to that today, but there are other who have criticized the techniques and sampling methods used to reach this conclusion. I haven't formed an opion myself.
Unless there was a really significant behavior distinction between them and us, their appearance was so similar that interbreeding would be a likely possibility. The production of viable offspring from usch actions is another issue.
Even if we found the "common ancestor" we would probably have a problem identifying it as such. Fossils don't come with labels. Also, fossils themselves, particularly hominid fossils, are not easy to come by.
"How many transitional species have been found to date, let me help you, a fat goose egg '0'."
The problem with militant anti-evolutionists is that talk when they should be listening.
Horses form a good series. Hominids do also. So do theropod dinosaurs and birds and primitive amphibians and reptiles and others.