Full blown combat or display only?

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Perhaps yes,but usually they were cut off from the formation,or were sent in outflanking moves,or more often to reach first the top of a hill and hold it.They may needed to fight one by one,but probably it was even more vital to them to keep their discipline and put in action what they were trained to do. In Sphacteria the Spartans were no more than some hundreds,and actually divided in three different places in the island. However they fought as a phalanx-and lost.
The elite units of each city where rarely more than some hundrets.
What could the elite do in a combat situation? Can we do the same in the safety of a re-enacting event?
Khaire
Giannis