Question

if the Nile River did not flood regularly how might life along the river have been different in ancient times

Answer 1

They could not have grown crops from the fresh wet soil and they couldn't travel along the river as good.

Answer 2

Explanation:  Nile is a river that literally breathes life into ancient Egypt and areas along the river. The Nile River periodically flooded every year at the same time areas near the river valley and deposited sludge from the river on the coast. In this way it soaked the soil with nutrients and minerals, and made the coasts a very fertile soil for the development of agriculture. It was a key factor for the development of Egypt as well as for all civilizations grown in river valleys. The development of agriculture increased wealth and power, agricultural products could be exchanged for other goods, etc. If we know that the ancient (even today's) Egypt in areas not along the Nile coast, consists of deserts, where agriculture is not possible at all. In this sense, if there was no flooding of the Nile, we can assume that the soil configuration would not be the same, but similar to the desert, because it is still close to the river, there would be some oases with greenery due to the proximity of the water. But agriculture would certainly not be possible, because there would be no fertile soil. Life would be similar to that in the deserts, like the Bedouins possessing green oases with water as precious.