Patmos (păt'mos). Revelation 1:9. A little ragged island in the Ægean Sea, 24 miles west of Asia Minor. It is from 15 to 25 miles in circumference, and is very rocky and barren. The barrenness of the island made it a suitable spot for the banishment of Roman criminals. To it the apostle John was banished by the emperor Domitian, a.d. 95. Its rocky solitude well suited the sublime nature of the Revelation.