Asphalt materials deteriorate when used in pavements due to their continuous exposure to traffic loads and other degrading mechanisms. This paper presents an experimental investigation to capture the initiation and evolution of damage in asphalt mixtures under compressive loads, in which the material degradation is attributed to the viscoelastic energy. In order to study the influence of temperature on degradation of asphalt materials, the test is conducted at four distinct temperatures: 10C, 0C, 20C, and 40C. The obtained experimental data reveal that, at lower temperatures, the viscoelastic energy threshold required to initiate damage in the asphalt specimens considerably increases. Furthermore, the results highlight the significant impact of temperature on damage evolution in asphalt materials. This study also identifies a critical damage threshold, beyond which the rate of damage evolution experiences a substantial increase. Notably, the critical damage threshold is lower at colder temperatures.