Tower of the Hundred
Tower of the Hundred is a structure mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Antonia Fortress. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
The Tower of the Hundred is mentioned twice in the post-exilic restoration accounts as a notable landmark along Jerusalem's northern wall. In Nehemiah 3:1, it appears in the sequence of construction parties repairing the walls after the return from Babylonian exile: "Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel." It reappears in Nehemiah 12:39 during the dedication procession of the completed wall, where it is named as a point along the processional route of one of the two choirs that circled Jerusalem. The name "Tower of the Hundred" (Hebrew: migdal hammeah) has been interpreted variously as referring to its height of one hundred cubits, a garrison of one hundred soldiers, or an administrative unit. Its proximity to the Tower of Hananel at the northern end of the city places it at the most vulnerable section of Jerusalem's fortifications, historically the direction from which northern invaders most frequently attacked the city.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The Tower of the Hundred is placed along the northern wall of Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate and the Tower of Hananel, situating it near the northwestern edge of the Temple Mount area. Some scholars identify it with a section of the northern defenses later replaced or reinforced by the Antonia Fortress of Herod the Great. Archaeological evidence from this area of Jerusalem is difficult to access directly due to the religious significance of the Temple Mount, though excavations north and west of the precinct have revealed Iron Age and Persian-period masonry. The tower's precise dimensions, form, and dating within the Nehemiah-period construction effort remain unconfirmed by direct excavation.
Verse Appearances (2)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]