hundred of years - сто лет или сотни лет

[f-158]

Я думаю, что за предшествующие сотни лет. Есть ли др. мнения. Заранее спасибо.
By the late 1950s the major European powers were also rethinking their attitudes to the empires they had constructed in the previous hundred years, especially in Africa - those in Asia had nearly all been lost. Within the colonies it was becoming clear that, following decades of neglect, economic development would be very expensive and it was unlikely that the colonial power would see much benefit from the huge investment required.

[Semizvetik]

конечно же, сто лет