of all the queens of antiquity, those who ruled independently at times were married for most of their careers. cleopatra, however, reigned for most of her 22 years as a sole monarch, with nominal joint rulers and a possible marriage to antony very late in her life. having caesarion as her sole heir produced both benefits and dangers. his sudden death could extinguish the dynasty, but rivalry with other potential heirs and siblings could also spell his downfall. cleopatra carefully chose antony as her partner to produce further heirs, as he was deemed to be the most powerful roman figure following caesar's demise. with his triumviral powers, antony also had the broad authority to restore former ptolemaic lands to cleopatra now in roman hands. while it is clear that cleopatra controlled both cilicia and cyprus by 19 november 38 bc with a mention of her governor diogenes who administered both, the transfer probably occurred earlier in the winter of 41–40 bc, during her time spent with antony. plutarch asserted that cleopatra played dice, drank alcohol, hunted wild game, and attended military exercises with antony. these masculine activities did not endear her to later roman authors, but they demonstrated the close relationship she fostered with her roman partner.